What does it mean if a writer builds a "straw man" in his or her writing?

In its simplest definition straw man is the name of a logical fallacy which means that if you carefully dissect the argument or statement it doesn't make sense you put forth a straw man because you know it will be easy for you to knock down or discredit It's a way of misrepresenting your opponent's position.

"Straw man" It's a fallacy, a fallacy is meant to distract and deceive, using a twisted version of the opposite side's argument against them. Users of this form of propaganda build a "straw man" and attack it in place of their opponent's actual argument.

The straw man will be a weaker, often a extreme, version of the original argument, similar in appearance but much easier to refute and destroy.

Explanation:

Fallacies are errors or tricks of reasoning. A fallacy is an error of reasoning if it occurs accidentally; it is a trick of reasoning if a speaker or writer uses it to manipulate his audience.